Turtle Beach i30 a top headset for any device (review)

Turtle Beach has made strides over the past few years, becoming a force in the gaming industry. Once best-known for its sound cards, the company has recently built a reputation on its headsets. The Ear Force series has won gamers over with crystal clear sound and a ridiculous feature sets that included wireless surround sound and programmable audio presets. The products are Swiss Army Knives of audio, offering everything players’ ears could need.

But for all the tech packed into Turtle Beach devices, they were always lacking in the design and comfort end. The team there created one of the best headsets in the industry, but it was something relegated to the living room. No one would conceivable wear the Ear Force PX5 on the street. They’d just look awkward and after a while the cans would feel heavy on the head. And that was a shame because the headset featured great sound and a Bluetooth connection that lets users listen to music wirelessly via their smartphone.

It’s a case of great tech that needed more mass market appeal, and finally, Turtle Beach has made that jump with the iSeries line. I’ve been using the i30 over the past few weeks. Ideally, they’re targeted toward Apple devices, but they also work for Android smartphones and even the PlayStation 4 (if you use the wired headjack input on the DualShock4).

Here’s mostly everything that comes in the box.

EASY TO USE: Pairing them with a device is simple, and once it’s done, users don’t have to worry about it. The i30 will connect automatically as long as the Bluetooth is activated on a smartphone. It just works. That ease of use goes even further with the controls on the back of the earpads. Like other Turtle Beach products, the i30 offers a plethora of options. They can choose to turn on and turn off the Active Noise Cancellation. There are four presets that let users bump up the bass, treble, both or none. They can even turn the earpads sideways so that the headset rests comfortably around a person’s neck.

Some of these features such as the presets or the ability to control the Bluetooth volume are useful, but others seemed excessive. There’s really no reason for a mic setting that changes the pitch of a user’s voice, disguising it. That’s a gimmick that more useful for hard-core gamers who play online and that’s not an element often featured on iOS games. Users would most likely use it to play a joke on a friend.

There are the controls at the back of the earpads

GORGEOUS AUDIO: When it comes sound quality, the i30 is superb. It boasts Turtle Beach’s precise audio. Users will get deep but not overpowering bass in music. They’ll notice subtle sound effects in games that weren’t clear before. The separation between the stereo channels is distinct. Even at its loudest, there’s little to no distortion. That quality cuts across both wired and Bluetooth connections. Obviously, the wired connection boasts richer, more intense sound, but the Bluetooth connection isn’t far behind. It’s slightly flat but most of the time, it’s indistinguishable from the wireless connection.

As for the Active Noise Cancellation, it works as advertised. Walking in public streets, users won’t hear the rumble of cars or the roar of motorcycle engines. They’ll be wrapped in a cocoon of silence. It’s really well done and makes a tremendous difference.

Because the device is wireless, users need to recharge its internal batteries once in a while. Despite that, I was surprised by how long the i30 lasted on one charge. I got more than two or three days worth of listening with heavy use. It looks the Bluetooth 4.0 helps the headset use less energy when it’s linked to a device that supports it.

THAT BUILD QUALITY: My only other gripe is in the build quality on the earcups. I wish they were softer, something more plush like the material used in the Monster Inspiration. It’s something that Turtle Beach could work on. The i30 needs to feel lighter and more cozy, especially if these are going to be the daily drivers that users plan to bring to work and on the road. The comfort level is good but not great.

Still, those are minor flaws compared to everything that Turtle Beach did right with the i30. It brings the features and sound that gamers have taken advantage of for years and brings them to a mainstream crowd. It will impress them. At last, Turtle Beach has created a headset that players or just about anyone else can use anywhere.

I tried a display pair of these at the Apple Store and the max volume wasn’t that loud. I was wondering if you had noticed the same thing or if maybe it just happened to be a flaw with the display model. If I turned up the volume to max on any other headphones I own it would be painfully loud.

giesoncacho

Hmm, it’s plenty loud for me. Were you listening to it wired or Bluetooth? You may have to fiddle with the sound on the phone and then tweak it on the headset as well. There’s a volume for Bluetooth.

Matthew Thom

Over Bluetooth. I tried both an Apple Store iPod as well as my own iPhone. In both instances the max volume wasn’t incredibly loud. I made sure Volume Limit on the iOS devices was turned off and even asked a few Apple Store reps if anything had been limited on the headphones. They said no. I’ve used several other Bluetooth headphones with my iPhone and never had an issue. All I can figure out is that something was turned down on the headphones themselves.

giesoncacho

Yeah, there’s a Bluetooth volume button on the right ear cup. They’re great headsets and they’ve become my daily drivers. My only other complaint is the mic doesn’t pic up my voice that well.

Matthew Thom

The headphone volume (on the ear cup) was maxed out. The headphone volume control and the iPhone volume control were tied to each other as opposed to being independent (turning up the volume on the ear cup caused the volume slider on the iPhone to increase). Are there additional volume control settings for the headphones that can be controlled through the iOS app?

giesoncacho

I don’t know what to tell you. The review unit they sent me works fine.

Bill Mcintyre

If i turn the volume up, does the sound bleeds through these headphones? Privacy is important to me.

giesoncacho

Yeah, sound bleeds through. People have told me it’s noticeable but the music coming through is a low mumble.